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World’s Most Unique Dining Experiences

From glacier-top feasts to dinner in a date grove, culinary experiences don’t need to be confined to traditional restaurant settings, especially when traveling. We’ve rounded up 20 places where unique gourmet meals come served in peculiar locations, taking you from a steam boiler in Washington for smoked meats, to high up a tree in Thailand for canapés in a canopy.

By Anja Mutic

Courtesy of Singapore Flyer

Observation Wheel Dining in Singapore

WHERE: Singapore

The Singapore Flyer, the world’s second largest observation wheel, arranges glitzy butler-serviced dinners on-board a private capsule. As you rotate 540 feet above landmarks like the F1 Circuit and Collyer Quay, indulge in a four-course meal with selections from a rotating menu paired with the city’s signature drink, a Singapore Sling.

Treepod Dining at Soneva Kiri

WHERE: Koh Kood, Thailand

At eco-minded Soneva Kiri resort, adventurous diners can nibble on canapés in a canopy while discreetly dangling in a dense forest of trees above the jagged coastline of Koh Kood. The nest-like pod for four is hoisted up a tree, while zip-lining waiters serve taro chips and vegetables in Thai pistou from the island’s organic gardens.

Wine Train Dining in Napa Valley

WHERE: Napa Valley, California

The plush Napa Valley Wine Train takes the concept of wine and dine onto the tracks, in restored 20th-century Pullman or Visa Dome cars. As you glide past the vineyards of California’s wine country in the mahogany-clad train car, savor delicious bites, such as the tenderloin in a Cabernet Sauvignon reduction.

Heli-Dining at Four Seasons Resort Whistler

WHERE: Whistler, British Columbia

The culinary team at the grand Four Seasons Resort Whistler offers a new twist on après-ski, transporting guests by helicopter to a glacier for an open-air buffet. This mountaintop dining experience comes with endless backcountry horizons and a customized menu that can include altitude beer sausages and bacon-infused vodka cocktails.

On-stage Dining at the Hungarian State Opera House

Where: Budapest, Hungary

Dine center stage at the iconic neo-classical Hungarian State Opera House, courtesy of the regal Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace. The entire theater can be yours for the night as you enjoy a multi-act dinner with private opera concerts as you dine on sea bass and Rossini-style veal fillets, courtesy of a culinary performance from executive chef Leonardo Di Clemente.

High-altitude Dining at The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago

Comfort food is taken to new heights at The Ledge at Skydeck, which serves famous Chicago-style stuffed pizzas from Giordano’s in a collection of private glass boxes that extend beyond the 103rd floor of Willis Tower. Or opt for Oysters Rockefeller and three-hour short ribs to complement the city lights sparkling 1353 feet below.

Insider Tip: Dining options vary depending on the month, so be sure to call ahead or look online before planning a visit.

Steam Plant Dining in Washington

WHERE: Spokane, Washington

In tribute to the industrial revolution, the early 20th-century Steam Plant has been painstakingly restored into a multi-functional space iconic to Spokane’s skyline. At Stacks Restaurant, dine in a massive steam boiler, savoring favorites like Manila clams in Cutter’s Pale Ale brewed on site.

Tramline Dining at High Finance

Where: Albuquerque, New Mexico

Nestled on an observation deck 10,378 feet in the air, the High Finance Restaurant & Tavern features stunning views of the Sandia Mountains. To reach the isolated eatery, which serves up green chile chicken alfredo and New York strip, you have to glide 2.7 miles on a tramline, passing the rugged rock faces above Rio Grande Valley.

Alfresco Dining in Date Grove

WHERE:Yuma, Arizona

Cordon Bleu-trained chef Alex Trujillo has interpreted ‘date night’ literally, serving a date fruit-inspired menu under the stars in a date grove. Sponsored by the Yuma Visitors Bureau, the multi-course dinners also include a presentation from a grower.

Seaside Dining at Namale Resort & Spa

WHERE: Savusavu, Fiji

At the all-inclusive Namale Fiji resort, a candlelit pathway sprinkled with flower petals guides guests into a cave archway on the edge of the Koro Sea for dinner in Pacific bliss. With tiki torches flickering against the lava rock, take in rainforest vistas as you sample Fijian kokoda made with the catch of the day.

Outdoor Dining at the Santa Fe Opera

WHERE: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Tailgating is taken up a notch at the The Santa Fe Opera. This car-side feast of lavish dinner boxes, with flank steaks and spinach tarts, takes up the parking lot three hours before the curtain opens. Visitors can bring their own food or order one of these tailgate boxes, prepared by Bon Appétit.

High-altitude Dining at Mammoth Mountain

WHERE: Mammoth Lakes, California

Sip champagne from bottomless glasses before you hop on the luxury snowcat to your elevated gourmet experience at slope-side Mammoth Mountain Inn. You’ll dine at the high-altitude Parallax Restaurant overlooking the snowcapped peaks of the Eastern Sierra landscape. Wrap up the chef’s table experience with homemade marshmallows at 9,600 feet.

Dining in the Dark at O.NOIR

WHERE: Toronto, Canada

Try and fork up your grilled octopus or guess your surprise dessert at O.NOIR, a restaurant where guests dine in complete darkness, served by visually impaired waiters. This dining in the dark experience intensifies taste, smell, and touch.

Mountaintop Dining at Homewood Mountain Resort

WHERE: Lake Tahoe, California

When the snow melts at the lakeside Homewood Mountain Resort, this established ski destination continues to thrive. Every summer chefs, like Billy McCullough, host a series of Farm to Peak dinners on a mountaintop, reachable by a scenic ride on the Quail Chairlift. Dine on delicious culinary creations and humble slow food, paired with birds-eye vistas of Lake Tahoe below.

Farm-to-Table Dining at Red Rabbit Farm

WHERE: Orcas Island, Washington

It did not take long for renowned local chef Christina Orchid, who had otherwise retired, to return to the stove. On her historic Red Rabbit Farm on Orcas Island, Christina hosts farm-to-table dinners in her barn every Sunday, where guests dine on lamb platters and rhubarb crumble during these family-style get-togethers.

Tree House Dining at Tongabezi Lodge

WHERE: Livingstone, Zambia

Nestled on the banks of the Zambezi River, the alfresco chalets at Tongabezi Lodge offer a peaceful retreat between African outback safaris. Wrapped around a riverine Ebony tree, the tree house is an ideal place to stay, and with a candlelit deck that juts out over the river, it’s an ideal spot for sundown dinners.

Yurt Dining at Solitude Mountain Resort

WHERE: Solitude, Utah

Strap on a pair of snowshoes, take a short jaunt along a lantern-lit trail, and splurge on lobster crepes and Cabernet-poached pears in a secluded Yurt. Surrounded by the pine forests of the expansive Solitude Mountain Resort ski area, a different five-course menu is prepared in front of guests every night.

Seafood Shack Dining at LoLo’s

WHERE: New York City, New York

Husband-and-wife team Chef Raymond Mohan and Skai Young take customers on a culinary journey, inspired by their own American and Caribbean roots, at Lolo’s Seafood Shack. This humble hut in Harlem with scrap wood interiors and steaming pots stirs up a Caribbean mash-up menu showcasing conch fritters and shark+bake johnny cakes.

Lunch Train Dining at Terry Bison Ranch

WHERE: Cheyenne, Wyoming

Visitors to the authentic Western-style Terry Bison Ranch can hop on board the Sunday Lunch Train and munch on fingerlickin’ buffalo burgers—voted the best in Wyoming by the Food Network. On the jaunt, you travel through the prairies of this private estate that spans into Colorado, with bison roaming along the tracks.

Tipi Camp Dining at Amangani

WHERE: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

A winter highlight at ridge-top Amangani is the Western-style dinners at the Tipi Camp located via sleigh ride along the swerving Snake River. Take in moonlit vistas of the Gros Ventre Butte as you travel thorugh the National Elk Refuge before stepping into a warm tipi where you’ll be treated to a feast of free-range buffalo prime ribs and salmon.

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